POTC II: Old Friends and New Adventures
by Pyrate Rose
Summary: Samantha Turner runs away to Tortuga to return a medallion she bought from a peddler in Port Royal. But they aren't the only ones trying to get to Isla De Muerta, and the other crew will stop at nothing to find the location.
1. Default Chapter

CHAPTER ONE

A NEW BEGINNING

Elizabeth Turner stared out the window at the beautiful day. The sun was high in the sky, seagulls called to each other and in the bay, she could hear the sailors singing merry sea chanteys as they unloaded the cargo from their ships. Her husband, Will, the blacksmith, had already left for his shop, but not before saying goodbye to both her and their daughter, Samantha. At the moment, Samantha was busy at the table with her studies as her mother washed the breakfast dishes.

"Mother, may I go out to the fort now. I've finished."

"Everything?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, see?" Samantha held up her paper and Elizabeth looked it over. "Can I go now? Please?"

"Yes, you may. But be careful and don't get dirty. It's time you started acting like a lady." Elizabeth said.

"Fine." Samantha said.

"And be home for lunch!" Elizabeth called after her.

"Yes Mother!" Samantha called over her shoulder on her way out the door. Elizabeth smiled at her daughter and returned to the dishes.

Samantha was a sixteen year old tom-boy. She would much rather be outside than in, she was always at the docks, and she had a fascination with pirates. Mostly because of the stories her father told her about his friend, Jack Sparrow, captain of the _Black Pearl_, a mythical pirate ship that few had ever seen. Samantha spent hours at the stony overlook at Fort Charles, the fort in Port Royal, watching for the magical ship that had at one time been crewed by cursed sailors.

Samantha was the spitting image of her mother. She had long, brown curls. She was tall and lean, and brave. She enjoyed helping her father in his shop and had learned at an early age how to sword fight with the swords Will made. After Will closed up at night, they would walk home together, and after supper, they would sit by the fireplace and he would re-tell the tales of the_ Black Pearl _as Elizabeth sat in her rocking chair listening.

Today was no different. On her way to her father's shop, Samantha stopped at the market to look at all the imported trinkets. Something gold caught her eye and she picked it up off of the table to take a closer look. It was an Aztec gold medallion on a weathered gold chain. Within a split second, a ghastly white hand wrapped around her wrist. She screamed and looked up.

"Pirate gold! Two shillings Lass." the man said. Samantha reached for her money and paid him, then ran off to show her new trinket to her father.


	2. The Medallion

CHAPTER TWO

THE MEDALLION

The door of the Turner Blacksmith Shop was thrown open and Samantha ran through it.

"Look what I bought! A real piece of pirate gold!" she said. Will put down the sword he was working on and wiped the soot off his hands and onto his apron.

"What have you got there Sammy?" he asked, taking the medallion from her. Will looked it over in disbelief, for he recognized this gold coin. It was a coin that had caused him a lot of trouble eighteen years earlier.

The sunlight beamed through the window and shot a glare onto the coin, reflecting the gold and making it shine even more brilliantly.

"I bought it from a man down at the market. It was only two shillings." she said eagerly.

"Sammy...... May I keep this here with me?" Will asked her. Sam shrugged.

"Sure. I thought you'd like it. It's kind of like the one you and Jack had to take back to Isla De Muerta." Samantha said. Will slipped the medallion into his pocket. "I think I'll go home now. Mother wants me home for lunch." Samantha said.

"Alright then. I'll see you at dinner." Will said. Samantha left the shop, closing the door behind her. Once she was gone, Will retrieved the coin from his pocket and looked it over again. "It couldn't possibly be..." he said to himself. But it was. It even had the gold chain he'd kept it on, after his father had sent it to him when he was only thirteen years old. He shook his head and sighed, then placed it in his pocket and returned to work.

.......................................................................

After supper, Will, Elizabeth and Samantha sat in front of the fire as usual.

"What story tonight Sammy?" Will asked.

"The one about how you stole the ship with Jack." Samantha said.

"Alright then. After I broke Jack out of jail to help me, we hid and decided which ship to commandeer. We decided on--"

"The _Interceptor_!" Samantha said.

"Yes, the _Interceptor_. The fastest ship in the Caribbean--"

"Besides the _Black Pearl_." Samantha said.

"Of course. The _Black Pearl _is uncatchable. Jack had a plan; first, we would pretend to capture the _Dauntless_, then, the guards jumped on the _Interceptor_ to come out and catch us, but when they got there, we snuck onto the _Interceptor_ and took off. We were so fast they couldn't catch up. But you see, a big ship like that one could not be crewed by two people alone, so we made our way to Tortuga to find a crew to help us." Will said. Samantha gave him a look, urging him to keep telling the story. He complied. "Tortuga is a dirty little island, mostly made up of drunks and scallywags, but we figured we'd be able to find people to help us, seeing as Jack knew mostly everyone there. We did find a crew, made up of the oddest sort of people. There was a little man, who only came up to my waist, and the only woman pirate I've ever heard of, Ana Maria. And a man who had trained a parrot to speak for him, because his tongue had been cut out."

"William!" Elizabeth gasped.

"I'm just telling the story Elizabeth. She's heard it before... Anyway, we got our crew together and set sail, with Jack as our captain."

"Are all these stories you tell true?" Samantha asked.

"Of course they are Sammy. I wouldn't tell you them if they weren't. Jack Sparrow and that same crew of misfits still sail the ocean today with the _Black Pearl_." Will said.

"When did you see him last?" she asked.

"eighteen years ago. The day your mother decided to marry me. But that's a whole different story and it's time for you to get to bed."

"Do you think I'll ever get to meet Jack?" Samantha asked. "I think it would be exciting to meet a real pirate." Will and Elizabeth exchanged glances.

"Maybe someday. But not tonight. Goodnight Sammy." Will said, kissing his daughter's head. "Sweet dreams." Samantha climbed the stairs to her room and Will waited until he heard the door close before he turned to Elizabeth, retrieving the medallion from his pocket again. Will held it up.

"Recognize this?"


	3. Cursed Again?

CHAPTER THREE

CURSED AGAIN?

"Oh my goodness..." Elizabeth gasped. "Is that?"

"Yes. It is." Will said.

"But how? Where did you get it?"

"Sammy bought it off of a peddler down by the docks today. She said that it reminded her of the one I always told her about, and she thought I'd like it. Look," he said, pointing something out to Elizabeth. "It even has the chain I put on it."

"And the bloodstain. See?" Elizabeth said. Will nodded and handed his wife the medallion. Elizabeth took it and brushed her thumb over the stain. It was her blood, and Will's. "This is not possible. Who could have gotten to Isla De Muerta? Nobody knows where it is."

"One of Barbossa's crew could have escaped, a sailor could have stumbled upon it by accident, a million things could have happened." Will said. He sat down at the table next to Elizabeth.

"Does this mean that the _Black Pearl _is cursed again?" she asked.

"I don't know. But someone has to be." Will said. Elizabeth looked up from the coin and into her husband's face.

"Samantha?" she whispered.

.........................................................................................................................

Samantha's eyes went wide as she listened to her parents talk in the next room. After she'd seen the look on her father's face when she'd shown him the coin, she knew something was wrong, so once her parents thought she was in bed, she snuck downstairs. She sat at the bottom of the steps, with her knees pulled up to her chest. She put her hands up to look at them, half-expecting to see them covered in decaying flesh, like the cursed pirates her father had told her about. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they weren't.

"Even if she isn't, it can not be good to have this around. We must get rid of it." said Will. Samantha heard her mother set down the coin on the table and she ran back upstairs to her bedroom, closing her door softly.

"How? We have no way of getting to Isla De Muerta, and there's no way of getting in touch with Jack. What do you propose we do Will?" Elizabeth said, panic starting to accompany her voice.

"If the _Pearl _is cursed again, they will come looking for this. The medallion calls to them, remember? We may be able to sell it back to the man Samantha bought it from."

"What if we can't?" Elizabeth asked.

"Then we'll send it and a message for Jack to Tortuga. They're bound to stop there for supplies, it's the only island where they won't be arrested. I'll send it tomorrow."

"Will, I know you'll take care of everything, but you know Jack, he's not exactly the most trustworthy man, and how do we know he's not dead? It's been eighteen years."

"Jack is not dead. I don't know if Jack_ can _die."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elizabeth asked. "_He_ doesn't still have a piece, does he?"

"No, no of course not. But Jack's not one who likes to be caught."

"So I've realized." Elizabeth said.

"But none of that matters. Consider the matter taken care of. Now, let's go to bed. It's late."

................................................................................................................................

Samantha waited in her bedroom until she heard her father's snores before climbing out of bed and haphazardly throwing clothes into a bag. She snuck into the hallway and tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen. The medallion was on the table, in the same place her mother had left it. She picked it up and secured the chain around her neck, making sure the medallion was hidden inside her dress, and left through the front door, closing it gently behind her.


	4. The Ship With No Name

CHAPTER FOUR

THE SHIP WITH NO NAME

The night was black when Samantha arrived at the docks of Port Royal. The moon hid behind a smattering of clouds and the air was humid and warm with a slight breeze rustling through the palm trees that surrounded the island she'd grown up on, and had never left in her life. It looked as though the docks were completely empty, many of the ships looked ghastly in the hazy moonlight. She tiptoed around and decided that if she couldn't find a ship to take her to Tortuga, she'd stow away on one.

" 'Tis rather late fer such a young lass t' be out here. Wha's yer business d'n here?" said an eerie voice from behind her. Samantha turned quickly to seek out who had spoken. An old man who had a crooked back came out from behind a ship. He was short with white hair and a beard that reached his knees, it was un-groomed and matted and his face was dirty and weathered. His skin looked as if it was made of leather and his hands were calloused. His clothes were tattered and old.

"I-I-I need to get to Tortuga." Samantha sputtered.

"Tortuga 'eh? Well, jist sah happ'ns I'm on me way there right now. I could give ye a lift. It'll cost ye a purdy sum o' course." he said.

"What is it that you want?" Samantha asked cautiously. The man looked her over from head to toe and his eyes rested on her butterfly hair clip.

"'At clip mus' be worth sumthin', aye?" Samantha reached up to touch the clip, a gift from her grandfather, before he'd passed away earlier that year.

"Aye." Samantha said. "If I give you this, you'll take me to Tortuga?"

"If'n ye give me 'at I'll take ye anywhere. No questions as't. Deal?" Samantha took the clip from her hair, and put it in his weathered, leathery hand.

"Deal." she said.

"Ye have a name Missy?" the man asked.

"Samantha. And you?"

"Miller. John Miller. Welcome aboard Miss Samantha."

.................................................................................................................................................

After a few hours, they were miles away from Port Royal, and it was too early for anyone there to realize Samantha was missing. Although Samantha herself was a bit worried about what would happen when they did.

"Does your ship have a name Mister Miller?"

"Why no, no it doesn't." he said.

"It's bad luck to have a ship without a name." Samantha pointed out.

" 'Tis bad luck to have a womern on board as well. Ya never did say... wha's yer purpose in Tortuga. I's really not a place fer a young girl such as yerself." Miller said. "How old are ye?"

"You said no questions." Samantha said.

"So I did." Miller agreed.

"I'm sixteen." she said after a few moments of silence. "And I'm looking for Captain Jack Sparrow. The captain of the _Black Pearl._" she added. Miller nodded skeptically.

"Ah, beggin' yer pardon missy. Sixteen in't young at all. I wan't a lad much younger 'n ye when I set sail me first time. I was sixteen when I got me own ship. This'n in fact." Samantha listened with interest as he told about his boyhood. He talked until the first shades of orange and purple showed in the east, and on the horizon, she could make out an island.

"Is that Tortuga?" Samantha asked.

"Aye. It is... Ye know how to bring a ship into port?" Miller asked.

"I've lived in Port Royal my whole life and I've helped sailors bring ships in since before I can remember."

"Good. And since yer 'elping would ye mind namin' me ship?"

"Really?" she asked.

"Aye. It's bad luck to 'ave a ship wi'out a name."

"The_ Blood Rose_." said Samantha.

"Aye, 'at's a good name. The _Blood Rose _it is."


	5. Tortuga

CHAPTER FIVE

TORTUGA

Samantha waved goodbye to Miller, the captain of the _Blood Rose _and started on her way to find the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow. The town was worse than she'd imagined it to be, and her father had been right about the drunks and scallywags. Men lay in the streets, covered in mud, some with pigs for pillows. She carefully stepped over them and tried to keep her head low. She had nearly made it to a dirty little tavern when she felt someone watching her. A scary old man covered in mud was following her. She hastened her steps and lost him as she scurried around a corner and right into somebody coming around the same corner. They both fell in the muck.

"Oh I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" said the other person. Samantha sat up to find the person she'd ran into was a young boy, not much older than she. He had dark brown eyes and black hair and light brown skin, and his clothes were dirty from his fall in the mud. He had a cutlass secured around his waist. He extended his hand to help her up from her fall and she took it. Once she was off the ground, she brushed herself off to find that her dress was too dirty to just brush the dirt off.

"Thank you." she said, wiping her hands on her already ruined dress.

"No problem. May I interest you in a place to freshen up? I'm sure you'd like to, after that fall."

"If it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not. You don't look familiar, are you from around here?"

"No, I'm not. Are you?"

"Kind of. I was born here, and I come back every so often, but I don't live here. I live on the sea."

The boy gave her a smile that made her knees go weak.

"I'm Nicholas, by the way. Or Nick if you'd rather."

"Samantha, Samantha Turner..."

..................................................................................................................................

Nicholas escorted Samantha into a dark, dank inn and tavern called the Faithful Bride, and up a set of creaky stairs to a long, narrow corridor with doors that led to different rooms, then into a room at the end of the hall. He opened the door and showed her to a basin and a cloth she could use.

"I'll wait out here for you." he said, closing the door. Samantha quickly changed into a different dress after scrubbing the mud from her arms and face. She then bundled up the dirty one and stuffed it back into her sack. She brushed the mud from her hair and used another hair pin to pin it to the side. After she'd finished, she met Nicholas back in the hallway.

"Thank you." she said gratefully.

"Oh, it was no problem at all. When did you get to Tortuga?"

"About an hour ago." Samantha said.

"Have you eaten anything?"

"No, I haven't." she said, cursing herself for forgetting to pack food.

"You must be starving. Follow me."

"You've already done too much."

"Nonsense. I insist. My father and his crew are already downstairs eating breakfast. Actually, I don't think they've gone to bed yet. It's free for us anyway, my father knows the owner. Is it okay if my friend eats with us this morning?" Nicholas called.

"Aye Nicholas." called a man from the other side of the room. He turned around to face them. Samantha stared into the face of a legendary man her father had told her all about. Nicholas' father was Captain Jack Sparrow.


	6. Captain! Jack Sparrow

CHAPTER SIX

CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW

"This is Miss Samantha Turner." said Nicholas, introducing her to the group of people around the table. When he said her name, they started whispering.

"Turner?" Jack said. He squinted and looked closer at her. "Aye. You look just like your mother. Are you here alone?" he asked. She nodded. "What brings you to Tortuga?"

"I had to find you." she said.

"Whatever would you need to do that for?" Jack asked her. Samantha pulled the medallion from around her neck and held it out to him. He jumped back uneasily at the sight of the coin, the crew's whispers returned, louder than before. "Ah. That."

"I need your help. We have to return it." she said.

"Well, I'm sorry lass, but I refuse to have anything to do with it. It gave me enough trouble last time. It gave me seventeen years worth of trouble." he said, glancing at his son. Nicholas rolled his eyes. Jack took Samantha by the arm and led her towards the door. "Terribly sorry I couldn't help. You'll give my regards to your parents for me? Much obliged." Jack opened the door.

"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow! You saved the lives of my mother and my father! You've escaped from under the noses of British Navy officers and defeated a ship full of pirates that couldn't die! Are you the pirate my father told me about or not?" Samantha said desperately.

"Jack, we can't just turn her out on the street." said a female voice.

"Ana Maria please, not right now." Jack said to the woman, Nicholas' mother, Jack's wife. He then looked back down at Samantha. "You even sound like your mother... First of all, Miss Turner, it's Commodore Jack Sparrow, as of yesterday. See the hat? Secondly-"

"You owe her father your life Jack." Ana Maria protested. "We have to do something." Jack gave a sigh of defeat and closed the door again, dropping Samantha's arm back to her side, the coin still clutched in her fist. Jack looked down at Samantha and then up again at the crew.

"Well then. What shall we do? I'm open to suggestions." Jack said.

"All in favor of returning the medallion, say 'aye'." Ana Maria said to the crew. Nicholas, Samantha and Ana Maria said 'aye'. One by one the other pirates did too. Samantha saw the man with the parrot her father had told her about and the little man. Jack shook his head and gave a mumbled 'aye'.

"We'll leave tonight then." he said, sitting back down at the table. Nicholas pulled up another chair and invited Samantha to sit. She did, and he sat next to her.

"Pour her some rum, Nicholas." said Jack. Nicholas reached for the jug and poured a mug for her and one for himself. Samantha took it and swished it around uneasily in the cup.

"Ever had rum before Miss Turner?" Nicholas asked. Samantha shook her head, but took a sip anyway. She almost choked at the shock of the strong taste, and it was a miracle to her how she managed swallow it. The crew laughed heartily at her and Nicholas smiled sympathetically. "It's an acquired taste." he said. "Perhaps some water instead?" he suggested. She nodded and Nicholas poured her another mug, this time full of water. "To Miss Turner." said Nicholas, raising his glass to her. Samantha smiled and raised hers.

"To my parents." she whispered. Jack raised his glass.

"To the _Black Pearl_!" he exclaimed. The rest of the crew shouted hurrahs and drank deeply from their mugs. After they had all set down their mugs and refilled them again, Jack turned to Samantha. "So, what have your parents been up to lately, Miss Turner?"

"My father owns the only blacksmith shop in Port Royal. My mother is doing fine."

"And what of your mother's bloody friend Norrington?" Jack asked.

"Oh! Governor Norrington?" Samantha said.

"Governor? Wasn't that your grandfather?" Jack said.

"Until January. My grandfather passed away of pneumonia. Norrington took over after his funeral." Samantha said.

"Terribly sorry to hear that. You know, I always liked Norrington, always. Unfortunately for me the only thing he liked about me was catching me. Unfortunately for him, I didn't like being caught." Jack said. The crew once again erupted into laughter. "Welcome to the crew of the _Black Pearl_ Miss Turner."


	7. Two Things Gone Missing

CHAPTER SEVEN

TWO THINGS GONE MISSING

Samantha had already washed up and met Commodore Jack Sparrow in Tortuga before her parents noticed anything suspicious back in Port Royal. The first thing was that the medallion was not where Elizabeth had left it. The second was, Samantha was nowhere to be found.

"Elizabeth, did you put the medallion somewhere?" Will asked.

"No, it should be right where I left it."

"It's not on the table if that's what you mean."

"That's what I mean. It's not there?"

"No. Perhaps Samantha took it. I'll go wake her." Will said. He ascended the stairs and opened Samantha's door. "Sammy? Wake up. Rise and shine love." Will pulled back the covers to find that, instead of his daughter, who should have been there, there was a stack of pillows under her blanket. Will spun around. "Samantha?!" he rushed downstairs. "Samantha's not up there." he told Elizabeth. "She isn't in bed."

"Well, where could she be?" Elizabeth asked.

"This isn't normal. Samantha's gone, the medallion's gone. Someone took them both."

"Now, let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe Samantha took the medallion back to the market, I think she sensed our panic over it yesterday..." Elizabeth said.

"It's not like Samantha to leave without telling us first. She would have left a note."

"It doesn't look like someone forced their way in. She probably just went to the market. She'll be back."

"Well, we'll wait an hour. But no more. If she isn't back by the time I leave for the shop, we're getting somebody to find her." Will said. An hour came and went and Will left for the shop.

"I'll send for Governor Norrington." Elizabeth assured him before he left.

"You'll let me know how it turns out?" Will asked.

"Of course darling. I'm sure everything will be fine." Elizabeth said. Will went off to work, worried and afraid for his missing daughter who was, in fact, having the time of her life.

That afternoon, Elizabeth made her way to the governor's mansion, where she herself used to live, to find and inform Governor Norrington of her daughter's almost certain kidnapping. In the eighteen years that she had been married to Will, James Norrington had become next to family. He had married her cousin, Anna, and the two of them had had a son, ironically enough named Jack who was Samantha's age, a daughter, named Emily who was ten years old, a five year old boy named Alex and a newborn daughter, Elsie. When Elizabeth arrived at their home, Jack was sitting on the steps, watching one of the servants tend to the garden, and Emily and Alex sat next to him. Elizabeth waved hello cheerily and they ran to greet her.

"Is your father home?" she asked.

"He's in his study with Captain Smith and Commodore Gillette." Jack replied. Elizabeth thanked him and went inside. Anna sat in her rocker singing the newborn to sleep.

"Elizabeth?" Anna asked. "You look worried sick, is something the matter?"

"Yes. It's about Samantha. She's gone missing."

"Oh that's terrible!" Anna said. "Do you know where she's gone?"

"No. That's why I need to see James."

"He's in a meeting at the moment. You can wait here, I can go get him now."

"No, if he's busy, I can wait." Elizabeth said. As they spoke, the commodore and captain emerged from Norrington's study. Norrington bid them farewell and closed the door after them, then joined Anna and Elizabeth in the sitting room.

"Elizabeth! How wonderful to see you."

"James, it's about Samantha. She's missing." Elizabeth said. "I need your help."  
"Tell me the whole story first." Norrington said.

"Yesterday morning Samantha showed up at Will's shop with a gold medallion, she'd bought it off of a peddler down by the docks." Elizabeth started.

"A medallion..." Norrington repeated, starting already to piece the puzzle together.

"_The_ medallion." Elizabeth said in a hushed whisper. Norrington took Elizabeth by the arm and guided her out of earshot of his wife.

"Is it the cursed medallion?"

"Yes. We believe she heard us discussing it last night after we sent her to bed. We think she either left for Tortuga to find Jack Sparrow and return it, or she was taken along with the medallion." Elizabeth explained.

"Well, the first one is more probable, according to my men, there was nobody suspicious here last night. And last time they came for the medallion, they destroyed the town. Everything is as usual today."

"But last time, the pirates weren't as friendly as Jack's crew."

"Well then... I shall send some of my men out to search Port Royal, and if we cannot find her, I myself will head up a crew to Tortuga. Either way, we will find her Elizabeth, you have my word."

"Thank you James. I know you will."


	8. Aboard the Black Pearl and really bad eg...

CHAPTER EIGHT

ABOARD THE BLACK PEARL

While Elizabeth was speaking with Governor Norrington, Samantha, along with Nicholas, Commodore Jack Sparrow, Ana Maria, and the rest of the _Black Pearl _crew were boarding the _Black Pearl _and the newer, recently commandeered _El Tigre Fiero_, a Spanish ship that the crew had taken the day before. Ana Maria had been appointed captain of the _El Tigre_, because Jack had sworn never to leave the _Black Pearl_ again. Nicholas, Samantha, Mr. Cotton (the man with the parrot) and a few other crew members accompanied Jack on the _Black Pearl_, while the rest, joined Ana Maria on the _El Tigre Fiero._ Samantha was taken aback at the state of the _Black Pearl._ It's sails were tattered, with huge holes in them, and yet somehow, it was the fastest ship in the Caribbean.

Nicholas took over the job of helmsman, using a strange looking compass to steer the ship in the right direction, and Jack climbed up into the rigging to the crow's nest.

"Weigh anchor Commodore?" shouted Nicholas

"Aye Nicholas. Ye have it on an even keel. I'll be up here if you need anything." Jack then began swinging back and forth singing a tune unrecognizable to Samantha.

"Does he always act like that?" Samantha asked Nicholas.

"Aye he's always three sheets to the wind." he said. "Sailor talk." he added when he saw her look of confusion. "It means he's always thoroughly drunk... I'll have to teach you how to speak like a pirate if you're going to be on board. You'll have to learn to understand us." he laughed. "For instance," he began. "Abaft... it means the rear of the ship. To have something at an even keel means to have something under control." he said. Samantha nodded. "Hold this for a second." he said, handing her the compass. She looked down. The arrow was not pointing north.

"How can we sail to an island that no one can find with a compass that doesn't work?" Samantha asked Nicholas. Nicholas smiled at her.

"Aye, that compass doesn't point north, but we're not trying to find north, are we?" he winked at her, turning the wheel two full spins to the left. "Anchors aweigh Commodore!" he called above to his father. Jack waved to him in acknowledgement and continued with his song. Nicholas shook his head, embarrassed by his father's antics.

"Nicholas!" Jack called. "Sing with me lad!"

"Nay. I'm busy." he said, turning his back.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me! We're rascals and scoundrels, thieves and knaves drink up me 'earties yo ho!" Jack sang, louder than before. "We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs drink up me 'earties yo ho!"

"I know that song. My mother taught it to me when I was younger."

"Your mother taught it to my father." Nicholas said. "I don't think he's stopped singing it since." Samantha giggled and watched Jack swing to and fro.

"He's just as I imagined him to be." she said.

"You must have an extremely warped imagination." Nicholas told her. "Commodore! Belay that ruddy song. Avast!" Jack continued singing, even louder than before.

"Really BAD EGGS! Ooh..." At this, Jack lost his footing and almost fell. Nicholas sighed in defeat and hung his head. "This is going to be one long journey."


	9. A Familiar Face

CHAPTER NINE

A FAMILIAR FACE

"Nicholas!" Samantha called from the bow of the ship. "There's a man in the water!"

"Heave to!" Nicholas shouted to the crew. Echoes of the command were heard throughout the ship as the crew stopped the ship. "Go and get a blanket from below." Nicholas told Samantha. The crew threw out a line and the man grabbed it. When Samantha came back on deck, the crew was standing in awe around the rescued man.

"Well damme..." Jack said. The man stood and smiled.

"Jack Sparrow." he said.

"Bootstrap Bill Turner." Jack said. "How delightful to see you again."

"And ye." Bootstrap Bill said. Samantha stood back cautiously and observed as the crew greeted the man they seemed to have known a long time ago. The man looked exactly like her father, only older. The crew of the _Black Pearl_ cheered and one by one shook Bootstrap's hand. Nicholas motioned for Samantha to come forward and he took the blanket from her and gave it to Bootstrap.

"How did you get out of that mess Barbossa put you in?" asked Jack

"Well, see, when he tied that cannon to me and threw me over, Barbossa seemed to have forgotten one thing, I was cursed as well. I managed to get that blasted cannon untied and swam to the surface. Then a passing ship picked me up and brought me back to London. I stayed for awhile, but the sea was callin' so I found another ship and took up piracy again. Yesterday, early, our ship was attacked, sunk to the bottom of Davy Jones' locker it did. I floated here, hopin' some good sailor would see me and pick me up. Had no idea it'd be old Jack Sparrow." At that moment, Bootstrap spotted Samantha. "Jack, don't you know, it's bad luck to have a woman on board."

"Seems to be good luck for you though." Nicholas said. "She's the one who spotted you."

"What of the curse? How did you rid yourselves of it?" Bootstrap asked.

"Well, we were never cursed. We got rid of Barbossa's crew, oh... eighteen years ago. Lifted the curse."

"How did you get the piece I sent off to Will?" Jack looked at Samantha.

"Funny story really..." Jack started. "We'll discuss it over a drink. Nicholas! Splice the main brace! Drinks all around!" Nicholas nodded and motioned for Samantha to follow him.

"Who is that man?" Samantha asked Nicholas.

"Never met him. Heard of him though. Bootstrap Bill Turner. He used to be on the crew of the _Black Pearl_, up until they marooned my father on an island. Bootstrap protested and they tied a cannon to his boots and sent him to the bottom of Davy Jones' locker."

"Turner?" Samantha said thoughtfully.

"Aye... I'm sure your father's told you the story. Every man who's ever sailed this sea knows of Bootstrap Bill. One of the best pirates ever to sail the Spanish Main."

................................................................................................................................

"Who's that lass that spotted me?" Bootstrap asked Jack. "Your daughter?"

"No...I have enough trouble with a son. Perhaps it's time I filled you in on our last little adventure." Jack said. "I showed up in a port eighteen years ago to commandeer a ship. I was in the market after my little skirmish with Barbossa. I found one but ran into a little problem. You see, there was this girl, she got in trouble and I helped her, but one of the soldiers in the port realized I was a pirate, you know how it is...I got arrested. During my escape I ventured into a blacksmith shop to hide, ran into someone...your son. He wouldn't let me escape, it's a shame you know, he hated pirates at the time. Took me a long time to make him come to terms with your profession. Anyway, later that night Barbossa shows up in the port with the _Pearl_, they kidnap the girl, Elizabeth, who has the medallion you sent to Will. I don't know how she got it, but I do know you're son was in love with her. Will shows up the next morning, and breaks me out of jail to help him find his girl. We commandeer a ship, sail to Tortuga, pick up a crew, find Barbossa and his bloody crew, save the girl, return the coin, kill Barbossa, take back the _Pearl_...return Elizabeth and Will to Port Royal. I escape being hanged once more, the crew from Tortuga and I sail off into the sunset with the _Pearl._ The end. I get married, have a kid...Nicholas, then, the other day, a girl shows up in Tortuga with the same ruddy medallion. We agree to help her, but only because it turns out that she is the daughter of William and Elizabeth Turner, and I believe my son fancies her."

"Will's daughter?" Bootstrap said in disbelief.

"Aye. Samantha Turner. She's sixteen."

"My granddaughter..."

"Aye." Jack said.


	10. More Pirates

CHAPTER TEN

MORE PIRATES

Two days into their voyage, the crews of the _Black Pearl _and the _El Tigre Fiero_ sighted a ship behind them, gaining quickly.

"Commodore, I believe it is a English ship. Perhaps a merchant ship." Nicholas told Jack after studying it for a few hours through a telescope. "The burgee's unclear to me, but the build is definitely English."

"Where away is she lad?" Jack asked. Nicholas pointed to the east and Jack studied it for a moment before lowering his telescope. "Pirates." he whispered.

"Pirates?" Nicholas said. "You must be joking."

"No. I recognize that ship, the _Navigator_, English pirates, sail out of an African port I believe." Jack said.

"I thought we were the last pirates in the Spanish Main." Nicholas said.

"Aye. They don't normally sail these waters." Nicholas and Jack began discussing how to handle the situation, there was no doubt in their mind that the pirates behind them were going to try to attack once they had raised the Jolly Roger, a declaration of war.

"They're crazy! We have two ships to their one." Samantha said, joining in.

"Aye, I wonder what they're thinking." Bootstrap Bill added.

"Heave to and ready the guns." Jack said.

"It's not a fair fight. We'll thrash them. They're lunatics." Nicholas said.

"They brought it upon themselves." Jack said. "They want a fight, we'll give them a fight."

On the _El Tigre Fiero_, Ana Maria had done exactly the same, they lowered the anchor and brought out the guns as the _Navigator _closed in, nearer and nearer.

"Samantha, go below deck, where you'll be safe." Nicholas said.

" But, I want to help." she protested.

"You'll help by being out of the way." he told her. "Now, go!" she reluctantly shuffled down the stairs to the cabins. Nicholas turned away and loaded his musket and pistol.

Once The _Navigator_ was in range, they fired the guns on them. The other pirates fought tooth and nail, and got close enough to board the _Black Pearl_, forcing the crew to draw their swords and cutlasses on them. Nicholas was attacked and dragged to the ground by a man twice his size, the man raised his sword and brought it down into Nicholas' arm, missing his chest at the last moment. Nicholas rolled out from under him, clutching his arm in pain. The man raised his pistol and a gunshot rang out; the man fell to the ground. Nicholas turned to see Samantha standing above him with a musket, smoke billowed out of the barrel and she looked down at him in shock at what she'd just done. Nicholas grasped his arm and sat up. Samantha reached out to help him up and pulled him to his feet. He brushed himself off with his good arm.

"Thank you." Nicholas said. Samantha nodded and ripped a strip of cloth from her skirt. "What are you doing?" Nicholas asked. Samantha took his arm and pulled his sleeve back.

"Hold still a moment, will you?" she said. She proceeded to tie the cloth strip around Nicholas' wound, she pulled it tight and he gasped in pain. "Sorry." Samantha apologized.

"No...it's fine..." he said. "I just...I mean, I...Thank you." Nicholas sputtered. He grabbed his musket from the deck and turned away from Samantha as fast as he could. Samantha shook her head at him and reloaded her musket, firing it at a short man boarding the ship, he fell into the water with a loud splash. Nicholas watched as the other ship raised a white flag of surrender and the men aboard the _Pearl _dropped their weapons in defeat. Commodore Jack Sparrow held up his sword in victory and the rest of the crew exploded into cheers, not one of their men (or two women) had been lost.


	11. Kidnapped

CHAPTER ELEVEN

KIDNAPPED

The crew of the _Black Pearl _celebrated their victory that night with extra rum and song and dance. Nicholas sat in a chair with a frown on his face, ignoring everyone else and cradling his injured arm, but the rest of the crew congratulated Samantha on her two dead shots that afternoon, making her feel like a real pirate. Nicholas had thanked her, but he didn't seem to grateful, especially when his father asked him what had happened to his arm and told him that it was a good thing Samantha knew what she was doing. He was still in his bloodstained shirt, as if he were wearing it in testament to his injury, like he were the one to be congratulated, and not Samantha.

Most of the men from the _Navigator _who were still alive had been taken and put in the brig, but some had gotten away, and ran with their ship, as far from the _Black Pearl _as possible, or so Jack, Samantha and the rest of the crew thought.

They dropped anchor and kept the ship at rest for the night, to patch up the few small holes and check for any other damage, and everyone slept that night, with bellies full of food and rum, tired from the evening of dancing and chatting. What they didn't notice was the two men that crept on board before dawn, two of the surviving _Navigator_ pirates. They had come for revenge, and they took Samantha. Being careful not to wake anyone else. The first one, Pierre, clapped a hand over her mouth, hushing her when her eyes fluttered open in shock and fright. He kept his hand there until they were in the small dingy that the second man, Raoul, rowed to the same ship that had attacked them that afternoon. They pulled her on board and brought her to the captain, Thomas Franklin, a man notorious on the Atlantic Ocean, but not normally in the Spanish Main.

"Well well, what do we have here?" he asked. Samantha glared at him and lowered her gaze. He reached out and touched her cheek in mock affection. "My dear, no need to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid of you." Samantha said angrily, slapping his hand away.

"Well, it won't be long." he laughed. "Not long at all... What is your name?"

"I won't tell!" she protested.

"Oh, you'll tell alright." said another man, pulling a knife from his side.

"Put that thing away!" the captain said. The man reluctantly returned the knife to where it had come from and crossed his arms.

"What do you want with me?" Samantha asked.

"We want you to take us to the _Black Pearl's _secret little treasure island. Isla De Muerta." the captain said, stroking her hair. "So let's have your name dearie." Samantha glanced around cautiously and decided it couldn't do any harm.

"Samantha." she said.

"Samantha. Lovely name." he said. "Pierre, show Samantha here to her quarters."

"Aye, sir." Pierre grabbed Samantha's arm and pulled her below decks to a small room, dark but for one small lantern whose flame was only visible through a small clean spot where no soot covered the glass. There was only a hammock in the room and nothing else. "Make yourself at home." Pierre sneered, slamming the door and locking her in.

....................................................................................................................................

"Nicholas, have you seen Samantha?" Bootstrap Bill asked the morning after their victory over the _Navigator_. "I can't seem to find her."

"Nay, I haven't. But then again, I wasn't looking for her either." Nicholas said.

"She saved your life."

"I know that. And I thanked her twice. I save my father's neck every other day and I don't get any thanks." he said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm rather busy at the moment. I don't have time to go looking for annoyances." Nicholas turned his back on Bootstrap and looked at his compass.

It was another three hours before they realized something was terribly wrong. They had looked everywhere, and Samantha was nowhere to be found.

"Perhaps we should turn back." Nicholas said.

"We know where they're headed, Isla De Muerta. Why else would they have taken Samantha? They think she knows the way. We can catch up, attack their ship and get her back, there's no use in going back to Tortuga, savvy?" Jack said.

"Commodore, there's no supplies left after the battle, what we didn't lose we used up celebrating. We need food, and we need to fix the mast on the _El Tigre._ We must go back."


	12. Back To Tortuga

CHAPTER TWELVE

BACK TO TORTUGA

William and Elizabeth Turner had decided to accompany Governor Norrington aboard the _Dauntless_ to find their daughter. The first place they went was Tortuga. They set sail three days after Samantha went missing, and arrived in Tortuga that night. Elizabeth and Norrington had never been there, but the sights, sounds and most of all, the smells, came rushing back to Will the second he set foot on the island.

"This is disgusting." Norrington said, observing the street they were walking on.

"Will, are you sure Jack will be here?" Elizabeth asked.

"Almost positive. Otherwise he's out on another grand adventure."

As it turned out, Commodore Jack Sparrow had just brought the _Black Pearl _into port, back for supplies, before they set out to rescue Samantha from the crew of the _Navigator._ After fixing the mast, they had decided to send Ana Maria and the _El Tigre Fiero _on ahead to Isla De Muerta, to head the _Navigator_ off, in case they, by some strange coincidence, had managed to take the right course. Jack sent Nicholas with some of the crew to get their supplies while he and Bootstrap went off to their usual tavern for a drink before they left port a few hours later.

Will used his memories to lead him to the tavern Jack had brought him to eighteen years earlier. He found the street and followed it to the dirty little tavern at the end. They had no idea that Jack Sparrow was in fact, behind them at that moment, and followed them into the tavern with a man Will hadn't seen in many years, his father. Jack, on the other hand, noticed something very familiar about the three people in front of him, so he grabbed the arm of Will Turner and turned him around to face him. Will, feeling threatened by someone grabbing his arm, turned around swinging.

"Jack?" he said quizzically, seeing the culprit. Norrington and Elizabeth stopped dead in their tracks and turned to see Will and Jack watching each other in shock.

"I knew it." said Jack. "Will Turner."

"Where's my daughter?!" Will said immediately.

"Well..." Jack started.

"I know you know Jack. If she's hurt, I swear on all that's holy I'll--"

"I don't know exactly where she is. But I do know who she's with." Jack said.

"Will..." Bootstrap Bill said softly. Will looked at the man behind Jack Sparrow and instantly recognized him. Jack moved out of the way as Bootstrap and Will stared at each other. "Will, I didn't think I'd ever get to see you again." Elizabeth glanced from Norrington to Jack in question and then back at her husband.

"Father and son, reunited. What a joyful reunion." Jack said.

"Where's Samantha?" asked Elizabeth. "Jack? Where is she? Please tell me she's okay." Jack then spotted Norrington, and quickly moved to the other side of Will and Bootstrap.

"I see you've brought my good friend Norrington along as well. Nice to see you again mate."

"Indeed..." Norrington muttered, still bitter about not being able to arrest Jack, because in Tortuga, pirates were immune from the law. "Just tell us where Miss Turner is so we can be on our way, Sparrow." Norrington said.

"See, I don't know where she is, necessarily--"

"What do you mean by that?" Elizabeth said.

"Well, there was a...um...mistake..."

"What mistake?" Will demanded.

"There was a battle with another pirate ship and they took her because they thought she'd know the way to Isla De Muerta. They've been after us for the location for ten, eleven years now." Jack said. "The thing is, she doesn't know. So we're going to fix the ship and go out looking for them. My son is getting supplies and my wife is off with the other ship trying to head them off."

"Your wife and son?" Elizabeth said, in shock.

"Aye. I was drunk...both times."

"Commodore, the _Pearl_ is fixed and ready to make way." Nicholas said.

"Aye, lad." Jack said. "Let me introduce you to your bonnie lass' parents. Will and Elizabeth Turner." Nicholas rolled his eyes. "And their friend, Norrington."

"She's not my lass." he said, annoyed.

"Will, Elizabeth, Norrington, this is my son, Nicholas." Nicholas extended his hand to shake Will and Norrington's then bowed to Elizabeth as a gentleman should.

"You're sure he's your son?" Will asked, taken aback at the pirate's son's formality.

"Unfortunately." Nicholas muttered.

"Aye." said Jack. "You'll see, spitting image of his old man, I swear, he looks just like me."

"No I don't." Nicholas said.

"Ashamed of your father?" Jack asked him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. I'm not you, and I never will be! I hate everything about you, and I hate being a pirate. If it were my choice, I would have joined the British Navy to help put an end to piracy. I know you're not proud of me for the way I am but it's better than being a dirty, filthy, bloody, scallywag like you! I can't stand this life anymore. After we find Miss Turner, I'm done with this life, I'm done with piracy, and most of all, I'm done with you." Nicholas said. He then turned on his heel and stalked off in the other direction, leaving Elizabeth, Will, Norrington, Bootstrap and his father behind, all gaping in shock at his outburst.


	13. Misunderstandings

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

MISUNDERSTANDINGS

Samantha didn't protest her captors locking her away, because she knew that even if she managed to escape, she had no idea which direction home, Tortuga or any other land was. She was afraid, however, of them doing something to her once they learned that she didn't know the bearings to Isla De Muerta, because they most certainly would not turn around and take her back to Jack and the _Black Pearl_, and the nasty pirate, Pierre, was looking forward to any chance of getting rid of her in the way of his choosing, he didn't seem to like her much. She huddled in the corner of the dark, dank little room and clutched the medallion in her hand for an amount of time she couldn't measure, praying that Jack and Nicholas were looking for her.

She figured she had been locked in the room for nearly three days, because she had gotten food about six times, from Pierre, Captain's orders, she presumed, because Pierre definitely wouldn't have fed her on his own. On the fourth morning, (she knew it was morning because the light from outside had just started coming through the cracks in the ship's sides), Pierre came and opened the door.

"The captain wants to speak to you." he said. Samantha nodded and stood, brushing herself off, still clutching her medallion in her hand with a death grip. She was careful to walk as far ahead of him as possible to the captain's quarters. Pierre knocked three times and the captain called to him to come in, he opened the door and shoved Samantha through the door.

"Hello again." said the captain "Have a seat." he added, motioning to a chair at the table, opposite himself. The table was laden with maps and navigation devices.

"Now, you will provide me with the bearings to Isla De Muerta."

"But...I don't know how to get there..." she said.

"You aren't going to get anywhere by holding the information, so, let's have it out dear."

"Honest! I don't know, I've never been there."

"TELL ME!" he demanded, slamming his fists down on the table, his face inches from hers.

"I...d-don't know...please...I'm sorry..." Samantha stuttered, frightened. Captain Franklin sighed.

"Miss Sparrow, you try my patience." he said. Samantha's frightful look turned into a confused one. "If you will just tell me, we can be on our way and get you back to your ruddy father."

"I'm not Miss Sparrow..." Samantha said.

"Now you're lying about who you are as well? Miss Sparrow, please, what kind of a fool do--"

"My name is Samantha Turner. From Port Royal. William Turner is my father, not Jack Sparrow. I only met Jack about a week ago... I've never even left Port Royal until the other day. I had to get something to Jack, I found him in Tortuga. I'm not even related to the Sparrows."

"You lie!" he yelled.

"No, I'm not lying I swear! Please, just take me back to Tortuga."

"Why on earth would I do that? You've done nothing at all for me." Samantha, becoming desperate now, brought the medallion out and set it on the table on a map of the Spanish Main. Captain Franklin picked it up and looked at it closely. "What's this?"

"It's all I have. If you let me go, you can keep it. Please..." she whimpered.

"And you won't send Sparrow after me?"

"No, I promise...please..."

"Well, I'll see what I can do, Miss _Turner_."

"Thank you sir." she said.

"Aye...Pierre!" he called. The door opened and Pierre came through it.

"Escort Miss Turner back to her quarters."

"Our bargain?" she said.

"We'll let ye go." he sneered, pocketing the coin. "Don't you worry about that."

.......................................................................................................................................

Samantha was locked back in her room for two more mornings, and on the third, Pierre, in an extremely joyful mood, came again to escort her out, this time to the top deck, where the crew was gathered. A small island was visible on the horizon, about one mile out.

"Miss Turner, right this way." the captain said. He extended his hand to show her the way. A plank was set down, leading out above the water. Pierre shoved her towards it.

"You liar! You said I'd go free!"

"Don't go accusing me of lying Miss Turner, I said ye'd go free, but it was you who failed to specify when or where." he laughed, the crew did the same. "Go on. Get out there." Samantha walked out and tiptoed cautiously to the end of the board. Pierre laughed and kicked the board. Samantha lost her balance and fell, screaming, into the dark water below. Gasping for air, she inhaled water, her heavy dress dragging her down. She pulled at the clasps and ripped it off, swimming as fast and as hard as she could to the surface, her lungs screaming for oxygen. The dress she wore underneath weighed her down a little, but she still made it to the surface, gulping down air. She tread water for a few seconds, trying to find the direction of the island she'd seen from the _Navigator_. When she had it in her view, she started swimming towards it. It took her nearly an hour to make it. She half-walked and half-crawled onto the island and collapsed on the beach, face down in the sand. She coughed and sputtered until all the water was out of her lungs. She closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them and looked around she saw that the island wasn't that big at all, there was a small grove of palm trees and some sand dunes, but that was about it. There was nothing but water around the island as far as she could see. She squeezed her hair to get the water out, then did the same to her under-dress. When she had gotten enough strength up to move, she walked around, trying to find any way possible of getting off the island. Frustrated and extremely angry, she picked up a rock and threw it, it struck another and sparks flew. Samantha's head was instantly filled with an idea of a blazing fire. She ran to pick up the rocks and gathered some kindling. It took her nearly four hours to get the fire big enough for warmth, and it was dark by then, but once it was built, she sat down in the sand and drew her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes.


	14. Father and Son

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

FATHER AND SON

Jack forgot his ideas of drinking the night away, and decided to set sail that evening instead. Norrington, Elizabeth and Will demanded that they accompany him on the _Black Pearl _with his crew and as soon as the _Pearl _was loaded with supplies and all holes had been patched up, they weighed anchor, Nicholas at the helm, as always. Jack watched his son cautiously, but turned away whenever Nicholas looked in his direction. The tension between the two was heavy in the sea air, but Bootstrap Bill and Will were finally getting to know each other over a flask of rum each.

"Will, I never got to tell you how sorry I am that I left you and your mother. You have no idea how much you two meant to me. If I had known you were in Port Royal, I would have come. I love you, son. Just know that."

"I know that... I always have." Will said. "I've missed you though. It's so good to see you again. I've always wished that you could be around to see everything that has happened in my life, meet my family." Bootstrap laughed heartily.

"That Samantha of yours is certainly a pistol. That's for sure. She's just like your mother. Adventurous, hearty, a trouble-maker." Will laughed in agreement.

"That she definitely is...I just hope she's alright...If anything ever happened to her, I don't know what I'd do." Will said.

"If only every father were like you Will. I am so proud of you."

"I try to be like you, whenever I can." Will said.

"Why would you do that? I was never a father to you."

"You were...when you were there." silence filled the room and father and son just stared at each other, years of missing each other vanished and everything was just right between them. "I wonder where Sammy is..."

.................................................................................................................................

Dawn broke and the _Pearl_ sailed on, looking for any signs of the _Navigator _or the _El Tigre Fiero_, or any sign of Samantha. Jack and Nicholas hadn't said a word to each other or to anyone else on board. They kept to themselves and stayed away from each other.

"How long are you two going to keep this up?" Bootstrap asked them up on deck that afternoon. "Honestly! Just be men and shake hands." Jack and Nicholas glanced at each other, but didn't say a word. Will and Norrington who were both on deck as well, watched them uneasily.

"Alright then." said Jack. He extended his hand. Nicholas looked at it like it was a snake about to bite, but shook it anyway, pulling away quickly.

"There we go." Bootstrap said. "Much better." Will and Norrington exchanged glances and returned to the other end of the ship. Bootstrap followed, leaving Jack and Nicholas to themselves, but not before patting Nicholas on the back on his way by.

"I meant what I said...about leaving after this." Nicholas said once everyone else was out of earshot. Jack nodded and turned around to face his son.

"I know you did lad...I'm just sorry you don't have a father you can be proud of." Jack said. Nicholas shook his head. "I've always known you were meant for greater things, Nicholas. I was just waiting for you to discover that for yourself. But pirate is in your blood, and you'll have to square with that someday. Your mother and I both, we've always been pirates, and we always will be... You know, Will over there, he wasn't happy when I told him that his father was a pirate, but he came to terms with it in the end, and in a way, he became a pirate as well, even if he isn't now. If joining the Navy is what you want to do, then do it. Do what will make you happy. I'll be proud of you no matter what. And maybe someday, you'll be glad that I'm your father, and you'll accept that. But, if not, that's fine too..." Jack turned to walk away. Nicholas looked up from the wheel.

"I am glad that you're my father. Even if I don't show it." Nicholas said. "Your profession may not be one that I would choose for myself, but you've always been there for me when I needed you. I'm glad for that. And even if I don't want to be exactly like you in career terms, I'll always want to be just like you when I have children of my own." Jack nodded and walked towards him. Then they did something that they hadn't done since Nicholas was three years old; they hugged.

"Well, now that that's settled. We have to find your bonny lass." Jack said.

"She is not my lass!" Nicholas said. Jack saluted him and started climbing to the crow's nest.

"Keep a sharp eye!" He called.

"Aye, aye, Commodore." Nicholas said.


	15. Rescued

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

RESCUED

It was nearly midnight when Jack saw the smoke and fire on the island in the distance. It was pure coincidence that they stumbled upon it. Jack, Will, Nicholas and Bootstrap took the dingy ashore to find Samantha huddled in a ball on the sand next to her campfire. Will rushed to her and picked her up, holding her as tightly as possible. She was startled, but then she saw Jack, Nicholas and Bootstrap, and realized the person holding her was her father. Nicholas took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders in the boat, on the way back to the _Pearl_, she smiled at him gratefully, and turned back to her father.

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"You did a smart thing, building that fire, Miss Turner." Nicholas said.

"Aye, if it weren't for that, we'd have sailed right by." Jack said.

"What were you thinking, running off like that? You had your mother and I worried sick." Will asked her. Samantha bowed her head, knowing she was in big trouble.

"I had to return the medallion...oh no! The medallion! I gave it to that man...the captain of the _Navigator_. He said that he'd let me go if I did. We have to get it back!"

"No! You're safe now. The medallion isn't our problem anymore. We will return to Port Royal immediately." Will said. "And believe me, you are in big trouble when we get home young lady." Jack and Nicholas exchanged glances.

"Mr. Turner, she's right. We have to get that medallion back. Who knows what they'll do if they become immortal. They could destroy everything." Nicholas said.

"Well, then I'll leave that up to you two. As for my daughter, my wife and I, we will be going home immediately." Will said firmly.

"Why did they take you? Did they tell you?" Nicholas asked.

"They thought I was Jack's daughter. They took me because they thought I'd know the way to Isla De Muerta." she said.

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them who I was, I said I'd never been there."

"Did you tell them about Nicholas?" Jack asked.

"No, why?" Samantha asked.

"Because I have a feeling they'd be after him if they knew." Jack explained. "So it's a good thing you didn't." The rest of the way back to the _Black Pearl_, everyone was silent. And once they had pulled Samantha aboard, Elizabeth rushed forward and took her daughter in her arms. Jack told Nicholas to take Samantha below decks to get her something to eat and drink while he tried to convince Will and Elizabeth to stay and try to get the medallion back from the _Navigator_. Nicholas gave her some water and fresh food that they had gotten the night before in Tortuga. She had never been so hungry in her life, but lady as she was, she only nibbled at the food.

"You don't need to try and impress me." Nicholas said. "I'm sure you're hungry."

"I'm fine." she said. "Really." Nicholas nodded, and took a seat next to her. "How's your arm?" she asked. Nicholas smiled.

"Better. Thank you...I am sorry I didn't act more gracious before. I didn't mean to be so--"

"I understand..." Samantha said. "No need to explain to me."

"What's that on your face?" Nicholas said. "You've got a scratch there." he reached across and brushed his thumb across the scratch on her cheek. She jumped back and away from him, startled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"No it's fine. I just--" both leaned forward, inches from each other.

"We're coming up on the _Navigator_!" Jack called. Nicholas pulled away and stood. "Get up here lad!" Samantha and Nicholas gave each other one last glance and Nicholas left the room and ran up the stairs to the top deck. Samantha sighed and looked back at her plate, but for some reason, she just wasn't hungry anymore. She pushed it away and made her way to the top deck where the crew, Jack, Nicholas and her parents and grandfather were gathered. She spotted the _Navigator_ in the distance. The _Black Pearl _was gaining steadily.


	16. Taking Back the Medallion

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

TAKING BACK THE MEDALLION

Although they didn't have the _El Tigre Fiero _with them this time, there was no doubt in their minds that they could defeat the _Navigator_. Nicholas grabbed his pistol and musket and gave Samantha one of each as well, despite her parents objections. They rolled out the guns and prepared for battle.

"Do you have a plan?" Samantha asked Nicholas as they neared firing range.

"Aye...you and I are to board the _Navigator_, you show me where to go to find the medallion. We get it, and get out. Savvy?" Samantha nodded. "Good. No worries then. I know you can do this. You're the bravest person I know...besides my father. But most of the time, it's Dutch courage that he's got. The rum makes him fearless." Samantha giggled. "Ready?"

"Aye." Samantha said.

The first gun was fired as Nicholas and Samantha snuck deftly onto the _Navigator_.

"Which way?" Nicholas whispered as they crouched behind the mast.

"Down there, follow me." she said. They checked for the best way to get below decks, and rushed through. Nobody noticed them, due to the fact that they were all trying to stay alive. Samantha found the captain's quarters and opened the door.

"Well, well, well, Miss Turner, welcome back... and I see you've brought a friend." Captain Franklin was seated at the table, the medallion around his neck.

"I guess I didn't count on that." Nicholas muttered.

"Neither did I." Samantha whispered.

"Pierre!" the captain called. Pierre entered the room through a door on the opposite side from them. "I'm sure you remember Miss Turner, aye?"

"Aye, Captain." Pierre said.

"Why don't you take her and her friend here, down to her quarters."

"Aye, Captain." he repeated. He grabbed Samantha and Nicholas each by one arm and pulled them down to the same dark room that Samantha had spent nearly a week in. He threw Nicholas in first then Samantha, who landed on top of Nicholas, but not before he took both of their pistols and muskets. The door slammed shut and the two of them sat up.

"Well that most certainly didn't go as I had planned." Nicholas said. Samantha said nothing, but Nicholas heard her sobs. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"I want to go home. I don't want to be a pirate anymore. I thought it would be fun, and it was at first. I want to go back to Port Royal. It may not have been very much fun, but at least I was safe at home." Nicholas awkwardly took Samantha in his arms, and she put her head on his shoulder.

"You aren't giving up, are you?" Nicholas asked. "Because pirates never give up."

"I'm not a pirate! I'm a blacksmith's daughter from Port Royal. You're the pirate."

"You're more of a pirate then I'll ever be. You know that don't you?" Nicholas said. "I've always hated the fact that my father was a pirate, a scallywag. I always wished for a father who was mellow and who obeyed the laws. A merchant or, even a blacksmith, for instance. But no, I got stuck with a pirate. Two pirates actually. And here you are, bored with your life as the daughter of the kind of father I've always wanted. We can't choose our parents, Miss Turner-"

"Nicholas, my name is Samantha."

"I know that Miss Turner."

"Please, call me Samantha."

"Alright then, Samantha... what do we do now?"

"It's your turn to come up with a plan."

"Alright then...well...first things first..." Nicholas stood and walked to the door, running his hands over the rough wood, trying to find a weak spot, Samantha followed and stood next to him. "Let's get out of here... What say you to that?" He turned to look at her over his shoulder and smiled.

"You are like your father, whether you want to be or not." Samantha told him. "You talk like him, you think like him-- and it's not a bad thing. I've always looked up to your father. The stories my father told me about him always made him larger than life to me. And to get to meet him was a wonderful experience. It's great that you've taken after him. He's a good man, Nicholas, even if he's a pirate, and you are too."

"Well, thank you for that I guess..." he said. Samantha nodded. Nicholas leaned forward and put his hand on her cheek gently. "Thank you." he said again. As they came closer together a large black lead cannonball tore through the wood of the side of the _Navigator_ forcing Nicholas and Samantha to jump apart, and also blowing an enormous hole in the door, leaving a space large enough for both of them to climb through without any effort. The ship was totally abandoned and sinking fast. The water was already up to their waists and rising when they made it to the captain's quarters, but they had no trouble finding the medallion, still sitting behind the desk covered with the now waterlogged maps and navigation devices, was Captain Franklin. Slouched over in his chair, dead. A suicide, with one bullet shot right through his head, the medallion hung where it had been only one hour ago. Samantha stood and gaped in shock at the captain. Nicholas took the medallion from around the coward's neck and secured it around Samantha's. He took her hand and pulled her away then led her to a dingy on the top deck.  
He rowed with all his might to catch up with the _Black Pearl_.

...........................................................................................................................................

"Jack," Elizabeth said after they had defeated the last of the _Navigator_ pirates. "Where's Samantha?" Jack looked around in wonder and pondered this a moment.

"I don't know...Where's Nicholas?" They both looked out onto the water at the tangled mess of the ship they had just defeated, then back at each other in horror. The smoke rose eerily off of the water as the flames died down and the wreckage sunk slowly to the bottom of the ocean. Elizabeth's shaky hand slowly rose to her mouth and her eyes shut tightly. "Oh my god...Elizabeth..." Jack whispered.

"Sammy..."came the reply. Jack moved in front of her so that he blocked her view of the smoldering debris of the _Navigator_ that they both knew had devoured their two children. Jack hugged Elizabeth tightly and he himself even let one single tear fall, but pushed it away quickly when Will and Bootstrap Bill found them on deck.

"Why these tears? We've won!" Bootstrap exclaimed. Elizabeth kept her head buried in Jack's shoulder and Jack left his arm around her to console her.

"Elizabeth, what is it love?" Will asked.

"Will, there's a problem." Jack said.

"What is it?"

"Nicholas and Samantha never got off the _Navigator_."


End file.
